Ancient Language
The Ancient Language was once the language of all beings in Alagaësia, but was later used only by the elves and some humans. It was used to command and regulate magic. Each act of magic was linked to a specific word; therefore, the more knowledge one had of the Ancient Language, the more magical ability. It was impossible to lie in the Ancient Language; words spoken in the language were unquestionably true, although it was said that the elves were masters at saying one thing and meaning another. Because of the candid nature of the language, oaths of allegiance and similar compacts were usually conducted in it, ensuring they would not be broken. Names in the Ancient Language were "true names" - the knowledge of one's true name was a source of power and control. Most speakers of the Ancient Language kept their true names secret. On a related note, the real name of the Ancient Language - the knowledge of which would have been a great power in itself due to the language's ability to manipulate - was and still is unknown. History The Ancient Language was first spoken by all beings, the Grey Folk being most proficient. They bound the language to the world to help them control magic and also made it impossible to speak lies in the language and as a result to doing this, they disappeared from the world and resurfaced as the elves. By the time of the Rider War, it was universally recognized as the elven language. Real-world connections Author Christopher Paolini based the Ancient Language on the languages of the ancient Norse and Celtic peoples. For example, "Galbatorix" is the combination of the Welsh words "galba" - meaning "big" - and "torix" - meaning "king". In Paolini's own words: "When I was writing the first draft for Eragon, I needed to invent a word that meant fire; it was supposed to come from an “ancient language” that is always used with magic. Since my parents owned a dictionary of word origins, I pulled it off the shelf and flipped through it. Eventually I found an obscure Old Norse word, brisingr, that meant fire, and I loved it so much, I decided to base the rest of my language on Old Norse. To find more words, I went online and dug up various Old Norse dictionaries, although I have been known to invent a word now and then when the story requires it! As far as the grammar and pronunciation of my “ancient language” go, they bear absolutely no resemblance to Old Norse as I wanted to give it my own twist." http://www.shurtugal.com/?id=trilogy/christopher/qanda Many have criticized the Ancient Language, however, maintaining that it consists mostly of Old Norse words replacing English words in a sentence. According to the critics, this is unlike Tolkien's Quenya, which had an actual grammar and new words. The Ancient Language is almost translated to fit the semantic meaning of each English word exactly. Grammar Prefixes äf-: gives words a malignant connotation. For example, taka (give) becomes äftaka (steal). eld-: changes verbs into nouns of action. For example, jierda (break) becomes eld jierda (breaker). Suffixes -ar: pluralises nouns ending on consonents. If the noun already ends with r, place an a before it. For example, draumr (dream) becomes draumar (dreams). However, if the noun already has a vowel before the r, the suffix -ya is used. For example, edur (tor) becomes edya (tors). -í: changes verbs ending with any letter (except for i and r) to past tense. For example, haina (harm) becomes hainaí (harmed). -o: forms the past tense of verbs ending with i and r. For example, skölir (shield) becomes sköliro (shielded) -r: gives nouns a masculine connotation. For example, älf (elf) becomes älfr (male elf), which is also he in the Ancient Language. -s: makes nouns possessive. For example, könungr (king) becomes könungrs (king's). -sja: adds looking to the end of adjectives. For example, ramr (strong) becomes ramrsja (strong-looking). -ya: pluralises nouns ending on vowels. It also replaces the last vowel. For example, agaetí (celebration) becomes agaetya (celebrations). If the -ya interferes with the word's pronunciation, the vowel it would normally replace isn't removed. The vowels a and i are usually changed to e. For example, celöbra (honour) becomes celöbreya (honours). Articles, Conjunctions, Auxiliary Verbs, Prepositions *a: aí *am: eddyr *and: un *are: eru *backward: aptr *be: waíse *did: achí *do: ach *does: ach (the same as "do", see 4. above) *for: wiol *forward: fram *from: fra *in: unin *is: er *let: atra *may: sé *not: néiat *of: abr *that: sem *the: du *this: thornessa *to: eom *was: ero *were: erní *will: weohnata *with: un (the same as "and")* Pronouns *I: eka *he: älfr *me: eka (the same as "I") *my (formal): pömnuria *my (informal): iet *she: älfrinn *their: theirra *they: therr *those: thorna *us: nosu *you: ono *your: onr Nouns *air: vindr *arrow: oro *bat: lethrblaka *bird: fethrblaka *blanket: nagz *blood: blödh *bond of trust: yawë *brow: brun *calves: kalfya *celebration: agaetí *city: dras *cripple: togira *day: dag *death: anglát, freohr *dominance: domia *dragon: skulblaka *dream: draumr *dwarves: dvergar *ears: eyreya *earth: deloi *elf: älf *elf-kind: älfakyn *family: breoal *fate: wyrda *feather: fethr *fire: brisingr, istalrí *fool's wisdom: orothrim *forest: welden *Forsworn: Wyrdfell *friend: fricai, vinr *gate: grind *good fortune: esterní *greetings: kvertha *hand: lam *happiness: ilian *heart: hjarta *hell: hel *honour: celöbra *king: könungr *knife: knífr *leaf: laufsbläd *leather: lethr *life: líf *light: garjzla *lip balm: nalgask *luck: guliä *magic: vanyalí *master: ebrithil *memory: manin *misery: zar'roc *misfortune: rauthr *mist: rakr *Morning Star: Aiedail *mortal: dauthleikr *mountains: fells *movement: sharjalví *oath: ren *palm: gedwëy *path: gata *peace: mor'ranr *picture created through magic: fairth *plains: völlar *purple-flowered plant: delois *Rider: Shur'tugal *sage: osthato *scale: skul *script: liduen *serpent: orúm *shadows: súndavar *shield: skölir *silver: arget *sorrow: baen *Spine, the: Carthungavë *stars: evarínya *stick: vöndr *stone: stenr *sword: sverd *thornapple: haldthin *thought: hugin *tor: edur *war: fyrn *warder: varden *water: adurna *witch: seithr *woman: koma Verbs and Adjectives *bind: malthinae *blasted: nángoröth *bore (baby): burthr *break: jierda *bright: bjart *broad: böetk *burn: eldrvarya *catch: kodthr *change: moi *dull: gëuloth *empty: eyddr *find: finna *flap: blaka *follow: tauthr *go: gánga *hallowed: shelgr *halt: blöthr *harm: haina *heal: heill *hear: hóna *hold: huildr *ill: vandr *invoke: ethgri *lack: vanta *leave: eitha *live: lífa *marked: fodhr *mean: malabra *mourn: chetowä *need: vanta *oaken: ekar *poetic: kvaedhí *raise: reisa *reduce: brakka *release: losna *rest: stydja *rise: rïsa *rule: thelduin *run: hlaupa *sharp: hvass *shine: ignasia *silent: hljödhr *sing: gala *sleep: slytha *stare: kópa *stay: sitja *steal: äftaka *stop: letta *strong: ramr *take: taka *temper: tuatha *thank: elrun *thrust: thrysta *traverse: thverr *unconquerable: edoc'sil *under: undir *unite: gath *wander: vrangr *ward: vard *watch: varda *white: hvitr *whole: ikonoka Translations Words * adurna - water * agaetí - celebration * Aiedail - The Morning Star * Argetlam - Silver Hand * äenora - broad * arget - silver * blöthr - halt, stop * blödhren - blood-oath * breoal - family, house * brisingr - fire * delois - a green-leafed plant with purple flowers; perhaps similar to a violet * dras - city * du - the * dvergar - Dwarves * ebrithil - master * edoc'sil - unconquerable * edur - a tor, prominence * eitha - go, leave * elda - gender-neutral honorific of great praise * ethgri - invoke * fairth - picture (more specifically, a picture taken by magical means) * finiarel - an honorific for a young man of great promise * finna -find (not confirmed) * gánga - go * garjzla - light * grind - gate * haldthin - thornapple * hlaupa - run * hljödhr - silent * hvitr - white * iet - my (informal) * jierda - break, hit * kodthr - catch * kvistr - branch (exclusive to the Eragon movie) * lethrblaka -bat,the Ra'zac's mounts,leather flapper (literally) * letta - stop (imperative) * malthinae - to bind or hold in place; confine * nalgask - a mixture of beeswax and hazelnut oil used to moisten the skin * pömnuria - my (formal) * rïsa - rise (imperative) * seithr - witch * shelgr - hallowed * Shur'tugal - Dragon Rider * skölir - shield * sköliro - shielded * skulblaka - dragon,scale flapper (literally) * slytha - sleep * sverd - sword * svit-kona - a formal honorific for an elf woman of great wisdom * thrysta - thrust, compress * traevarn - tree (exclusive to the Eragon movie) * vanyali - magic (the dwarves took this word and used it to mean "elf". * Varden - Warders * vodhr - a male honorific of middling praise * vöndr - a thick, straight stick * vor - a male honorific for a close friend * wyrda - fate * Wyrdfell - elven name for the Forsworn * yawë - a bond of trust * zar'roc - misery Phrases * Agaetí Blödhren - Blood-oath Celebration * Aí varden abr du Shur'tugals gata vanta. - A warden of the Riders lacks passage. * Aiedail - the morning star * älfr ach thornessa - he does this * älfrinn ero aí koma ramrsja - she was a strong-looking woman * Argetlam - Silver Hand * Atra esterní ono thelduin/Mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr/Un du evarínya ono varda. - May good fortune rule over you/Peace live in your heart/And the stars watch over you. (an Elven greeting) * Atra gülai un ilian taught ono un atra ono waíse skölir frá rauthr. - Let luck and happiness follow you and may you be a shield from misfortune. * Atra gülai un ilian taught ono un atra ono waíse sköliro frá rauthr. - Let luck and happieness follow you and may you be sheilded from misfortune. * Atranosu waíse vardo fra eld hórnya. - Let us be warded from listeners. * Bjartskular - Brightscales * Brakka du vanyalí sem huildar Saphira un eka! - Reduce the magic that holds Saphira and me! * Dagshelgr - Hallowed Day * Deloi moi! - Earth, change! * Domia abr Wydra - Dominance of Fate (book) * Draumr kópa - dream stare (scrying) * Du Fells Nángoröth - The Blasted Mountains * Du Fyrn Skulblaka - The Dragon War (Dragons vs. Elves) * Du grind huildr! - Hold the gate! * "Du Silbena Datia" - "The Sighing Mists" (a poem song) * Du Súndavar Freohr - Death of the Shadows * Du Völlar Eldrvarya - The Burning Plains * Du Vrangr Gata - The Wandering Path (literally, The Path Wandering) * Du Weldenvarden - The Guarding Forest * Eka aí friai un Shur'tugal! - I am a Rider and a friend! * ''Fethrblaka, eka weohnata néiat haina ono. Blaka eom let lam. - Bird, I will not harm you. Flap to my hand. * Fricai Anglát - death friend * Gala O Wyrda brunhvitr/Abr Berundal vandr-fodhr/Burthro lausblädar eja undir/Eom kona dauthleikr... - Sing O white-browed Fate/Of ill-marked Berundal/Born under oaken leaves/To mortal woman... * Ganga aptr - Go backward * Ganga fram - Go forward * Gath sem oro un lam iet - Unite that arrow with my hand. * Gath un reisa du rakr! - Unite and raise the mist! * Gedwëy ignasia - shining palm * Gëuloth du knífr! - Dull the Knife! * Helgrind - The Gates of Death * Istalri boetk! - Broad fire! * Jierda theirra kalfis! - Break their calves! * Kvetha Fricai - Greetings, friend. * Letta orya thorna! - Stop those arrows! * Liduen Kvaedhí - Poetic Script * Losna kalfya iet - Release my calves. * Manin! Wyrda! Hugin! - Memory! Fate! Thought! * Moi stenr! - Stone, change! * Nagz reisa! - Blanket, rise! * Osthato Chetowä - the Mourning Sage * Reisa du adurna. - Raise/Lift the water. * Ristvak'baen - Place of Sorrow (baen--used here in Urû'baen, the capital of the Empire--is always pronounced baen and is an expression of great sadness/grief) * Sé mor'ranr ono finna - May you find peace. * Sé onr sverdar sitja hvass! - May your swords stay sharp! * Sé orúm thornessa hávr sharjalví lífs. - May this serpent have life's movement. * skölir nosu fra brisingr! - Shield us from fire! * Skulblaka, eka celöbra ono un malabra ono un onr Shur'tugal né haina. Atra nosu waíse fricai. - Dragon, I honor you and mean you and your Rider no harm. Let us be friends. * Stenr reisa! - Raise stone! * Stydja unin mor'ranr, Hrothgar Könungr. - Rest in peace, King Hrothgar. * Thrysta vindr - Compress the air. * Thrysta deloi - Compress the earth. * Thverr stenr un atra eka hórna! - Traverse stone and let me hear! * Togira Ikonoka - The Cripple Who Is Whole * Tuatha du orothrim - Tempering the fool's wisdom (level in the Riders' training) * Vel eïnradhin iet ai Shur'tugal. - Upon my word as a rider. * Vinr Älfakyn - Elf Friend * Waíse heill! - Be healed! * Wiol ono. - For you. * Wiol pömnuria ilian. - For my happiness Connections By using simple knowledge it is also possible to find out other words in the Ancient Language. Such as: :Fethrblaka = bird/Feather-flapper :Skulblaka = Dragon/Scale-Flapper :Lethrblaka = Ra'zac's mounts/Leather-Flapper So, Fethr means Feather, Skul means Scale, Lethr mean Leather, and Blaka means flap. External links *The Ancient Language Compendium, a complete and accurate guide to the Ancient Language. References Category:Magic Category:Languages es:Idioma Antiguo